


Tales from the Moments In Between

by Vialyn



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Angst, Ascians (Final Fantasy XIV), Canonical Character Death, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Estinien being angsty as always, F/F, F/M, Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, Fluff, I'll also tag warnings as well so don't worry, I'll definitely be adding to the tags as the month goes on, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal Spoilers, Post-Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26809909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vialyn/pseuds/Vialyn
Summary: A collection of oneshots for Woltober.
Relationships: Alisaie Leveilleur & Warrior of Light, Alphinaud Leveilleur & Warrior of Light, Ardbert & Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Aymeric de Borel/Estinien Wyrmblood, G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light, Haurchefant Greystone/Warrior of Light, Urianger Augurelt/Thancred Waters
Kudos: 3





	1. Sliver Petals for Silver Locks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aymeric finds a bouquet of flowers left for him.

As Amyric stepped through the threshold of his manor and moved the locks into place, he felt like he could finally breathe. It’s been a long day, more so than usual for the Lord Commander of the Temple knight. Or perhaps he should be calling himself the now Speaker of the House of Lords. 

Aymeric almost couldn’t believe it when the people voted him to be their representative, especially after the reception he received when revealing the truth about the Dragonsong War. He still almost couldn’t believe it, even after the Warrior of Light tried to beat it into him that he ended the war that has taken more than a fair share of Ishgard’s sons and daughters. He simply countered their statement by saying they should have elected them into offices if they wanted their hero. 

He was greeted with a roll of eyes of course, not that he was expecting anything less.

Still, perhaps it made a lick of sense, even if he wished it didn’t. He was far from a politician, he was far too pragmatic for it he thought, but Lucia reassured him that he steered them through the war and surprise betrayal of the Archbishop, he could deal with the Lords that he has dealt with a numerous of times. Having the confidence of one of his closest peers did make accepting the position a little easier, not that Lucia would have let him say no anyway. She wouldn’t have another man like the Archbishop take that high of a seat, not on her watch she told him. He just laughed at her comment and told her that she had far too much faith in him before he signed the papers.

With a fond shake of his head, he moved around his manor, taking bits of armor off with each step to take the more physical weight off his shoulders. After dropping his armor off into his chambers and carefully arranging them in preparation for tomorrow’s numerous meetings, he found himself pouring himself a glass of amber liquor and making way to the hearth to warm away the high winds still sticking close to him.

That was until he saw the bouquet of flowers sitting on the tea table. 

Ah… Speaking of close peers…

When making the speech in front of the vault, he almost wished to have that ever stoic presence beside him. Estinien had a way to make him feel like we could take on the present challenge, always has since those cadet days. He would just provide his presence often enough that was all he needed but sometimes he would often those sarcastic words underlined with a hint of what he found to be affection. 

But he reminded himself of their conversation late last night… 

He placed his drink upon the table and switched to holding the flower lightly in his hands. They were beautiful, the yellow accenting the white that was almost a poetry of Estiniens silver locks. Stroking the soft petals, his mind wandered as he let a small sigh leave his lips. 

Estinien told him last night he could not stay. Not only did he wish to pay respects to Ysayle, he wished to visit Shor Kai. After that… Well, even Estinien didn’t know. He just told him that he must find out himself, believing his travel will lead him to the question and answer he didn’t have. And, Aymeric understood. For so long Estinien’s whole life was dedicated to the rage he had for Nidhogg. But that was gone, the war ended, and all that was left was a soldier with no purpose. 

Of course, Aymeric is disappointed that he couldn’t make him stay. After him being possessed by Nidhogg, all he wanted was for Estinien to stay plastered to his side. But, he knew full well that it would be far too unfair to Estinien to force him to stay and he knew he could have with the right words. He wanted Estinien to find his purpose, however, his passion, to find that thing that would fill the wound of grief he has left festering for far too long.

Besides, with the amount of work he had with the restoration and implication of new laws, it would probably feel like a few days before he finds himself in the presence of his beloved once again. 

He let out a little laugh under his breath, shaking his head with a smile. He went to find a vase to fill with water and place the flowers in, wishing for them to last as long as they were able, and placed them back onto the table he found them one. With one last stroke of the petals, he grabbed his drink and decided to move to his chambers for the night. 

Whatever Estinien found out there and no matter how long it would take, he would wait and make sure Estinien had a warm hearth and bed to come back to in the meantime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well... It looks like I am two days behind. But, at least I'm writing! It's been far too long, let me tell ya. I'm really excited to see where this woltober takes me because I know I won't be able to do every day but what can I come up for the days I do? And, oh yeah, I know I defiantly won't be missing some days. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed! Come talk to me or share some of your works for inktober on Instagram or Tumblr. I would love to see what you guys are creating this month! 
> 
> My [Insta](https://www.instagram.com/fields.of.rye/) and my [Tumblr](https://fields-of-rye.tumblr.com/)!


	2. Legends and Songs of Swans and Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> G'raha learns of an interesting hidden talent that the Warrior of Light boost.

“Ito? Are you in here?”

G’raha stood at the doors of the Warrior of Light’s supposed quarters, wringing his now unoccupied hands. This was the third door he had tried, each room either being answered by a confused Scion or an echoing of silence. The Rising Stones were far from familiar to him, his recent occupation of it being some three hundred years ago, so it came as no surprise that he found himself lost after stepping into the hallways that housed the rooms of staying Scions. It was only at Urianger’s door did Thancred (who seemed rather ruffled looking, if he thought about it) told him that he saw Ito retreat to her quarters a few hours before. He said something about ‘translations and whatnot’ before he quickly shuffled to close the door in front of him. Which was fine he suppose, he had his directions, and hopefully, he would find his quarry this time.

It took a few seconds before he finally heard the scraping of a chair behind the door, a few grunts following behind it as footsteps soon became louder as they came closer. It was with a sigh did the door open, the rusted hinges making the door screech down the hallway before it revealed the white-eyed Warrior of Light, whose hair seemed to be sticking out in the most precarious of positions.

“G’raha.” She muttered, straightening her spine as a hand wiped at her eyes. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Ah… It seems the Warrior of Light was just awoken from their midday nap. No wonder she was late.

He let out a small laugh at the slurred greeting, taking a simple joy in seeing the normally well put together woman so disgruntled. “It is nothing, I am here to simply remind you that we are to be leaving for Ishgard upon the hour.” 

Now that seemed to cause Ito to straighten up. Her eyes seemed to widen as the realization hit her, G’raha hiding the small laugh as she began to let out a stream of curses. “By the Kami, I’m so sorry. It will be just a minute, I promise, just let me…” She let herself trail off as she moved away from the door, quickly going to grab the blue coat that he often saw her wear in her downtime. As she moved to find pieces of armor that matched from what seemed like a customary pile in the corner, she spared a glance towards him, a smile stretching her lips as she motioned to him.

“You don’t have to stand there, come on in. There’s some fruit there on the table that Tataru gave me. I think they will be more to your taste than mine, honestly.”

G’raha let his ears perk at the offer, not expecting himself to be invited into Ito’s personal haven. Yet, he found himself curious about what the Warrior of Light held within her quarters, to what she had gathered in her travels in his time sleeping, and slowly made his way in.

And found that it was quite… chaotic. 

He may have been surprised at the pile of armor he saw in his view at the door, but it seemed it wasn’t the only one. There were numerous lances leaning against the wall in the corner, a few looking to be in a few pieces if they weren’t swords instead. There also seemed to be various armor pieces scattered away from the pile, making home upon the bed while some picked out of what he thought to be the closet. He knew Ito to have a habit of always keeping an eye out for armor, his time of knowing her before the tower making it seem like she just had a habit of denting things beyond repair. And, the habit seemed to stick if the bent in half gauntlet and the smashed breastplate was any indication, it just seems to have… escalated. 

That caused him to frown in thought. How many times has Ito stubbornly cling to life as her armor caved around her? If his reading of Heavensward was any indication, it was far too many times.

He shook his head from his thoughts, quietly reprehending himself for thoughts of ‘what ifs’ and ‘what should have beens’. They served no purpose and Alisaie threatened him enough times for his guilt that he was weary to think it. So, instead, he moved to the fruit that Ito offered, finding himself quite famished indeed.

And found another surprise in his midst. 

As he moved to grab the bright red apple that caught his eye, his gaze discovered what appeared to be a mess of sheet music. The table that the fruit rested upon was in a state of array as the rest of the room, papers sown across it with books piled off to the side, some even making home upon the floors. Yet, a wooden flute that looked worn and well-loved along with a various number of handwritten scores were made into a small and neat pile. It was a jarring scene, compared to the rest of the room, and he even found his hand trading the apple for a piece of music, looking at the notes and lyrics that were written, crossed-out, and scribbled all over the paper.

“That’s one of the songs my  _ eej _ taught me.” G’raha allowed his tail and ear to perk in surprise, his eyes quickly traveling to the smiling Ito. Her smile was soft, an echo to the mirth that they let escape their lips as he felt himself heat with a blush. “It is proving quite the challenge,” she continued as she strapped her gloves into place, “however, to translate it to Eorzean common.” 

Willing the heat upon his cheeks to cool back down to normal temperatures, he cleared his throat of any embarrassing squeaks before responding, “I didn’t know you could read music, much less compose it.” 

Her armor clinked in response to her shrug. “It was something my sister taught me. She was quite insistent on having a practice partner so I obliged.” She shook her head with a click of her tongue, letting a roll of eyes negate the grin pulling her lips. “And since Alphinaud seems keen to learn the Auri language, I figured song would be the easiest to remember.”

G’raha hummed in response, turning his eyes back to the music in front of him. He was no musician himself, barely able to decipher what notes meant which, yet his eyes were able to read the lyrics written under them. Of course, he was not fluent in Auri, that being a language hard for many to learn due to the lack of material one is able to learn from, yet the translation under it was easy enough to read in her (surprisingly) neat handwriting. 

“ _ Once upon a time _

_ There was a bottomless blue lake _

_ At the end of the world with _

_ An uninhabited beautiful land _ ”

“A folktale then?” He looked back at the bent over Ito, greaves being strapped into place with quick hands. “It seems quite beautiful.”

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorites.” She pulled the last strap into place with a grunt before standing up straight. “Also, it’s one of the more appropriate ones from the others I know.”

Ito moved in front of him as he rose a brow in mocking jest. “The Lady Ito knows scandalous bar songs? Who would have guessed.”

A chuckle echoed his, the gentle punch to the shoulder followed by the gentle prying of the music from his hand. “When you grow up around pirates, you learn more than a few dirty songs.”

He only laughed as she placed the song back into its neat pile. She then moved to pick up the more gleaming lance in the pile, signaling for him to follow as she made steps to leave the room. “If you want,” she began as she locked the door behind her, “I can show you a few more of my pieces when we get to Ishgard. I was making one for Lord Edmont so I have plenty of my pieces with me.”

G’raha beamed at the offer, steps turning to small skips in a new excitement as he followed closely behind her. “If it’s as lovely as the other piece, I would love to.”   
  


“Oh trust me, once you hear my piece  _ Dragonsong _ , you’ll be my biggest fan.”

_ Dragonsong _ … “Wait…” Now that made him pause in the middle of the hallways, brows beginning to frown at the mere implication that… That she… “You wrote the famous  _ Dragonsong _ ?!”

All he got in reply was a grin over his shoulder and a devious look in her eye before she skipped off without him. He gasped at the revelation, to know that not only was the Au Ra the source of all his inspiration but also many hours of being stuck with a single song repeating in his head. 

“You… How  _ dare  _ you not tell me that you wrote it! After I even…” With his words echoing down the hallways, accompanied by whistled notes of unconcern, did the reclining Y’shtola glance at the quickly disappearing figures, a small smile gracing her lips before eyes switched back to the book in hand.

It’s been a while since she saw the Warrior of Light laugh with such carefree spirit… 

Good. It was getting far too serious here in the Rising Stones. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eej- mother
> 
> I have this little headcanon that since many of the Xaela names are Mongolian, I figured that their language would also be close to Mongolian. So, hence the translation and guest appearance from The HU. Those lyrics are from their song "The Legend of Mother Swan" which is one of my favoritesssss that they have made so if you haven't listened to them, I totally urge you too. They make some rocking music.
> 
> Anyway, that's day 7 for today. I hoped you guys enjoyed it and come tell me what you think! You can find me on [Tumblr](https://fields-of-rye.tumblr.com/) or on [Insta](https://www.instagram.com/fields.of.rye/) and if you want, show me what you're doing for inktober! I would love to see what you guys for making this month!


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